Women’s history month is a great opportunity for us to celebrate and really explore our female mathematician predecessors. After all how many of us know even a fraction of the names in the Wikipedia List of women in mathematics?
The IMA has had two female presidents to date, Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw 1978-1979 and Professor Dame Celia Hoyles 2014-2015. Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw was a founding Fellow of the IMA. She overcame many adversities to make outstanding contributions to both mathematics and society.
- Born Kathleen Timpson on 1st October 1912 in Manchester, Dame Kathleen produced the first-ever method for constructing and enumerating Magic squares. She also devised the first general solution of the Rubik’s cube.
- Dame Kathleen met her husband Robert during her schooldays. When he presented her with his slide rule as a gift, she considered this a declaration of true love.
- At 19 Dame Kathleen was awarded an open scholarship in mathematics to Somerville College, Oxford. She later received her DPhil at Somerville without the need for a formal written thesis, by publishing five original papers. In total, Dame Kathleen wrote at least 26 mathematics papers during her lifetime.
- Appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire for services to education in 1970, Ollerenshaw wrote two books about the education of girls.
- In May 1975 Dame Kathleen was appointed Lord Mayor of Manchester and wrote about her experience in a children’s book, The Lord Mayor’s Party.
- Despite being deaf since the age of eight, Dame Kathleen learnt to lip read and excelled in mathematics. She said that “mathematics is the one school subject not dependent on hearing.” It would be 30 years before she finally received a working hearing aid.
- Dame Kathleen lived to 101 years of age. Even after losing her sight, she still found ways of enlarging and lighting material for reading and writing.
It is tempting to think that we live in an enlightened age where no barriers exist, but complacency is the enemy of improvement. Women have been a substantial part of the workforce for only three generations. There can be up to five generations in many industries. In both academia and industry there is still a “leaky pipeline” leading to a shortage of females in senior positions. This is highlighted particularly if you don’t include those who are now in purely managerial roles. I know of multiple female colleagues who have had to fight family and cultural expectations to remain in mathematics.
Every person can make a positive difference. Whether it be a teacher who includes more examples of female mathematicians, a member in industry who mentors, or an organiser who moves a meeting to accommodate childcare considerations. After all, “if not you, then who?”
Would you like to contribute a short case study for the new diversity webpage on gender? If so we’d love to hear from you, please contact diversity@ima.org.uk.
